Fallouts and Coming Together
by Lily Hanson
Summary: "You're a good big sister," Jeremy said. "No one's saying you're not. We're not even asking you to turn off your communicator or your cell phone. Cammy comes first. But since we're not getting through to her, Shelby or Chase, and their communicators are off, can't we just take a break, spend time with family and hope they'll reach out to us?"
1. Birthday Wishes

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Dino Charge. This story is fan-made._

Chase swung in the hammock at Shelby's family's cottage. It overlooked the lake, where Cammy was playing in the water just off the dock. Despite technically being kidnapped, the little girl was having a blast with the pink and black Rangers. So far, they had been swimming, had campfires, made s'mores and stayed up late – it was a child's dream vacation.

For Chase, it was mostly a headache. He had to ignore calls on his cell phone from Ivan, Koda, Riley and a few from the Prince. He also had his morpher turned off, meaning he didn't know when the other Rangers were in battle or if he was needed.

Though, he was sure the other Rangers wouldn't call on him. After the mess Heckyl put him in, he was sure he was the last person any of them wanted to see.

His cell phone rang again, interrupting his thoughts. He looked to the screen and saw it was Kendall calling. By now, he doubted she was worried about him too much. The Fishers had been called into work last minute during one of Cammy's soccer games, and so had to ask Shelby to keep an eye on the girl and bring her back to Kendall after the game. However, when Shelby got to the Fisher home with Cammy, she saw Chase. Right away the pink Ranger knew something was up and at the time imagined taking off with Cammy would only be for a few hours.

A couple of days later, Cammy was still in their care, but until they could be sure the others were ready to listen to Chase's side of the story, it was too dangerous to head back into the city. The Fishers had no idea where their daughter was, and Kendall was likely going out of her mind with worry. For all Chase knew, her last memory of him involved a few punches and horrible exchanges. If she even suspected he had Cammy in his care, she would definitely panic.

However, he knew Cammy was safe. He'd never hurt her, and if Heckyl did take over his body again, he knew Shelby would protect her. Chase shut off his phone and dumped it in the hammock before turning to Shelby at the barbecue.

"Are you sure you don't want help with that?" he asked, mostly to take his mind off Kendall and the trouble he was in back home. Shelby grumbled as she looked up.

"I've done this before."

"Doesn't look like it," Chase chuckled. Cammy had requested barbecued hot-dogs for lunch and Chase and Shelby, knowing they would be in big trouble with the Fishers and Kendall upon their return, thought that spoiling the little girl and giving her the trip of a lifetime might soften the blow of their scolding a little bit. After all, worried parents only wanted to see their kids home safe and sound. Hearing they had a blast while away might just reassure them that there was never any danger.

Suddenly, Shelby let out a cry as the barbecue started up with a big flame. She jumped back, tongs in hand, ready to attack. Chase smirked at the sight.

"Well, that's one way to pluck your eyebrows."

"Shut up," Shelby muttered, pulling her hat down a little more over her face. "This was an impromptu trip. I couldn't really pack anything."

"I offered to buy you tweezers when we were in town."

"On your credit card," Shelby frowned and placed a few hot-dogs on the grill. "Your girlfriend is Kendall Morgan. When you're trying to hide from her, you have to know better than to use your credit card."

"Good point," Chase conceded, then turned his attention back to the water again. Shelby's parents had a beautiful view of a clear, blue lake, and since it was the middle of the week, there were very few people. Chase had an uninterrupted view of the water.

Suddenly, he sat up. His view wasn't supposed to be so breathtaking. There was supposed to be a little girl splashing around by the dock. He had suited her up with water wings and a pool noodle, but he knew he had to keep his eye on her. Anything could happen in the water.

"Cammy!" he cried out, jumping from the hammock, rather ungracefully, before he charged towards the dock. Seeing the black Ranger take off in a panic, Shelby forgot all about the hot-dogs and chased after him. They had to find the little girl and fast.

"It was your turn to keep an eye on her!" Shelby shouted just before Chase leaped off the dock and into the water. The fact that he swam straight down, and Shelby couldn't see any trace of the little girl had her worried.

"I got it!" Shelby suddenly heard Cammy call out and turned to face the shore. There, along the coast was Cammy, with her water wings, covered in mud, with a frog in her hands. Shelby put her hand on her heart and let out a deep breath.

"Thank god!"

"I caught a frog!" Cammy held up the little critter happily just before it squirmed. She was surprised by the creature's fight and accidentally let it go. "Oh, wait!"

"Cammy!" Chase shouted again as he emerged from the water and ran to shore. He scooped her up. "What the hell were you doing?"

"I caught a frog," she repeated with happy innocence and pointed to the water. Chase looked to the water, then to Shelby who had her hand in front of her mouth and was laughing.

"You had me worried sick!" Chase told her. Cammy frowned.

"Why? Are frogs dangerous?"

"I couldn't see you from the hammock!" Chase said and pointed back to the cottage, where his view of the hammock was obstructed by the drop down to the water. "You have to stay where I can see you."

"But the frog came this way," Cammy pouted. "You didn't see me walk this way?"

"No."

"You have to be watching me all the time," Cammy told him as she wriggled out of his arms. "I'm playing in the water. Kendall always watches me in the water."

"Yeah, well, I can't always keep both eyes on you. You need to stay where I can see you so I don't freak out again," Chase said then noticed Shelby was still laughing over by the dock. He frowned. "Your tweezers are burning lunch."

"What?" Shelby asked before he pointed to the barbecue. "Shit!" she called out, racing back to the cottage. Chase took Cammy's hand.

"We should get cleaned off before lunch," he said to her. Cammy pulled her hand free and raced to the end of the dock, jumping off. When she surfaced, she looked at Chase, grinning happily.

"Done!"

Chase massaged the side of his head and grumbled under his breath, "I have a new respect for your parents."

-Dino-Charge-

Jeremy touched his energem gently with his fingers as he rode the elevator down into the lab. When the doors opened, he looked around, spotting his sister sitting on an old work bench, staring at the painting of Keeper that Koda had drawn on the wall in memory of the alien.

"Do you miss him," he asked, startling Kendall slightly. He sat down next to her, looking to the painting.

"I still can't believe he's gone," Kendall answered. She turned to her brother, "How did it go?"

"Anna's pretty thrilled about it," he shrugged. "She thinks it's pretty cool her dad's a Power Ranger."

"And Tracey?"

"She's got mixed feelings about it. But she does want to push back the move."

"We already have two Rangers worldwide," Kendall said. "I don't know how I feel about having a third on call instead of at the ready."

"Relax, I'll be staying here," Jeremy said. "She's just worried about Anna. She doesn't want Anna getting caught up in this mess. She offered to take Cammy too."

Kendall looked away from her brother as tears quickly filled her eyes. He put his arm around her, pulling her in closer.

"Hey, we're going to find her. And wherever she is, she's with Shelby. That's got to mean something."

"I just want to know what's going on," Kendall said, wiping away her tears, though to no real avail. "First the lab, then Keeper, then Chase, and now Cammy and Shelby? It just feels like things are falling apart."

"That's just how it feels," Jeremy insisted. "Life's like a pendulum that way. Whenever things feel bad, you just have to remember that the pendulum will swing back. And you've got to remember..."

"Cherish the good times. They won't last," Kendall finished. "You're really taking after Jon, you know."

"Yeah, that's what happened when I became a dad," Jeremy chuckled. "Now, we know you're not really in the mood to celebrate, but mom and dad did make a little something for you upstairs. Just the family, though."

"I'm not hungry."

"Kendall..."

"I'm really not."

"You only get one birthday a year."

"I'll have one next year."

"Doesn't feel right celebrating without Cammy, huh?"

"Or Chase."

"Kendall."

"That wasn't him back there."

"You took a pretty hard hit to the thinker back there," Jeremy shook his head. "I saw him, clear as day. That was Chase."

"I don't want to believe that," Kendall argued and her brother sighed.

"You finally have faith in someone. Really? Now?"

"Doesn't that count for something?"

"And how many of your phone calls has he answered?" Jeremy said and watched as Kendall lowered her head. "He's hiding. Anna used to do the same thing when she knew she was in trouble."

"It's not like that."

"I saw him, Kendall. I saw what he did to you. I know what he would have done to you if I hadn't shown up. Maybe all the power's gone to his head, or..."

"Energems don't work that way. His energem's still bonded to him. That has to mean he's still Chase."

"He is the black Ranger," Jeremy pointed out. "Black's is associated with evil. Maybe there's an evil energem out there."

"Keeper only mentioned ten, and he mentioned they were all good."

Jeremy sighed. He knew he wasn't going to win this fight. Kendall had spent the past few years of her life dedicated to learning all she could about the energems, their power and their potential. He could argue that maybe she was wrong, but he didn't feel like deciphering the scientific jargon that would be sure to follow.

"I just came down here to see if you were okay, and to let you know mom and dad really want to celebrate a birthday with you. It's just dinner, and especially given all that's going on, they really deserve a couple of hours of celebration."

"But Cammy..."

"It's not a sin to enjoy yourself even at the worse times," Jeremy reminded his sister. "Mom and dad still celebrated their anniversary the day after you left. It didn't make them miss you any less, but it let them feel whole again for one evening. They deserved it; so do you. We even have cake."

"What, no presents," Kendall rolled her eyes as she turned away from her brother. Jeremy shrugged.

"Some things we want to have Cammy home for," he said.

"I don't need a present."

"You're going to like this one."

"I don't even want a cake. Jeremy, I don't feel like celebrating my birthday."

"Then let us celebrate and you just come have dinner with mom, dad and Koda," Jeremy offered. "You need to eat something."

When Kendall didn't answer, he leaned forward to look at her. He smiled.

"You're a good big sister," he said. "No one's saying you're not. We're not even asking you to turn off your communicator or your cell phone. Cammy comes first. But since we're not getting through to her, Shelby or Chase, and their communicators are off, can't we just take a break, spend time with family and hope they'll reach out to us?"

Kendall picked up her communicator. It was tempting to be able to set it aside for a couple of hours and not have to worry about trying to locate her friends. Chase was strong enough he could look after himself and Kendall also trusted Shelby would take care of Cammy until they could find their way home.

It wasn't going to be easy, but maybe for a couple of hours, Kendall could let herself have a good time.

"Atta girl," Jeremy smiled, seeing his sister was starting to come around. "We'll save a piece of cake for Cammy and we'll celebrate again with her, I promise. For now, let's just have a good time. I know it's not every day my baby sister turns twenty-seven."


	2. A Big Tantrum

Chase awoke to the sound of screaming in the middle of the night. He jumped out of bed then had to quickly find his bearings. He wasn't used to waking up in the dark in Shelby's family's cottage and it always took him a minute to figure out where he was before he was completely alert. Once he was aware of his surroundings, he realized the scream had come from Cammy's bedroom.

He had locked all the doors before going to bed, but there was a window open for fresh ait. Panic began to set in as Chase worried maybe one of Heckyl's monsters had found the cottage and were preying on Cammy. He rushed to her room, bumping into Shelby in the hallway. The pink Ranger had an equally worried look on her face but neither said a word to the other as they made their way into Cammy's room.

The little girl seemed perfectly fine; at least in the sense that there were no monsters around. But as Chase and Shelby approached her bed, they could see the sheets were wet with both sweat and urine. Cammy's face, which was lit up by the dim nightlight in the corner was red and tear-stained and she looked terrified.

"What happened?" Chase asked her softly, trying not to draw attention to the wet marks on the sheets or on Cammy's pyjamas. Meanwhile, Shelby gently touched the spots on the bed then sniffed her fingers, just to be sure. The look on her face confirmed it for both of them that Cammy had wet the bed.

"I want to go home," Cammy cried.

"We're having so much fun," Chase said while Shelby walked to the bag in the corner to grab Cammy a fresh pair of clothes for the night.

"But I wanna go home!" Cammy protested, looking more than just scared. Her little body was trembling, tears welled up in her eyes and her lower lip quivered. "I don't like it here!"

"Sure you do," Chase said. "We swim all day, you caught a frog, remember. Whatever has you so worked up was just a nightmare. You're safe here."

"I want to go home!" Cammy screamed. "I want my parents. I want Kendall! I don't want them to forget about me!"

"They won't, Cam. They'll be happy when you come home."

"I wanna go now!"

"Here, Cam, you'll feel better after you get cleaned up," Shelby said and offered the little girl a new set of pyjamas, glad she had spent the little cash she carried with her on extra clothes for Cammy. She knew kids, even still at Cammy's age, were prone to getting dirty. Cammy looked to the new clothes, then down at her pants and the wet spots on the bed around her. Her face suddenly flushed red with embarrassment.

"Get out!" she screamed and pulled the blankets over herself to cover up the marks. "I want to go home! I hate it here! I hate you!"

"Cammy, it's nothing to be ashamed of," Chase tried to calm her down but Cammy shook her head. She jumped out of bed, snatched the spare clothes from Shelby's hands and raced down the hall to the bathroom and locked herself in. Chase and Shelby followed her, and from outside the door they could hear Cammy starting up the shower. A few sobs escaped as she cleaned herself up. Chase looked to Shelby, shrugging his shoulders a little bit.

"What do we do?"

"I have no idea," Shelby answered. "You don't know if she's gotten like this before, do you?"

"I... I don't," Chase said honestly. "Kendall has been a little tired sometimes after taking Cammy overnight. She just says she didn't sleep well."

"You don't think Cammy really believes Ms. Morgan and her parents would forget about her, do you?" Shelby asked. "I mean, that's ridiculous."

Suddenly, the bathroom door opened. Cammy was cleaned up and in her new clothes. She looked up at the Rangers with both embarrassment and rage.

"Take me home."

"Cammy, it's complicate. You know that."

"I wanna go home!" she shouted and stomped her foot. "I have to go home!"

"Cam..."

"They'll be mad at me! They'll send me back! I have to go..."

"Cammy, that's not going to happen," Chase assured her, kneeling down so he was at eye-level with the girl. "Is that what happened? Did you have a nightmare?"

"We went home and they weren't there," Cammy said. "They moved away, and Ms. Clarkson said she was taking me back to foster care. I was never going to see Kendall again!"

"Cam..."

"I wanna go home now," Cammy cried, looking to Shelby, hoping the pink Ranger would be sympathetic. "I don't like it here anymore. I wanna go home. I have to go before they forget me! I don't want a new family!"

Shelby looked to Chase, both unsure of what to do. It had been a few days since they had disappeared. Surely by now the initial rage at Chase had settled. However, both were finding the longer they stayed in hiding, the harder it was to convince themselves to go back. Every day they didn't contact their friends, they knew they were creating more trouble.

"Maybe I can call Tyler. Get a feel for what's happening back home. If they're ready to listen to us."

"No!" Cammy shouted. "I want to go home now!"

"Cammy, it's not that easy," Chase said and was suddenly assaulted by little fists and feet hitting him in the chest and legs.

"I want to go home! I want to go home!" Cammy screamed as she hit him. "We have to go back!"

"Cammy!"

"You have to take me back!" by now, Cammy was screaming so hard, her face was turning bright red. There was nothing but rage in her eyes and Chase and Shelby were really worried about what to do now.

"Cammy, just settle down for a minute and let us think for a second..."

"NO! You HAVE to take me home _NOW_!"

"Cammy..."

"I hate you! I hate you both! I hate this place! You're stupid! You're both so fucking stupid!"

"Cammy!"

"I hate it here!" Cammy screamed and slapped Chase across the face. He wanted to respond by grabbing her and trying to bring her back to her senses, but one quick look and he knew the little girl wasn't in control of herself anymore. He had seen it once before with his sister, shortly after their father passed. Chloe had been so wracked with grief, yet so young she didn't know how to express it until one day it all boiled over. She had a meltdown, right in the middle of the night, just like Cammy. Chase managed to calm her down after about fifteen minutes of screaming. He hoped to do the same with Cammy.

However, as soon as he tried to take the little girl in his arms, she pushed him away then threw herself on the floor. A loud cry escaped her lips and Chase and Shelby both thought she had hurt herself. Yet anytime they tried to move in closer to her, she would scream, "I have to go home!"

Chase gave in. He couldn't hide from his friends any longer, especially if it was doing this to Cammy. By now, he would be in trouble no matter when he came home, but at least he knew he was strong enough to take whatever consequences the Rangers had waiting for him. And on top of that, he did have Shelby to back him up. She believed him, she could vouch for him. It could go a long way to proving his innocence with the team. Perhaps not Koda or Jeremy, but certainly with the other Rangers it would mean something.

Cammy didn't have that same strength, and it was unfair of him to ask her to give up what she did have. She had grown up in an unstable home, with a mother who chose drinking over her daughter most of the time before that was suddenly ripped away from her. Cammy was then put into foster care, and placed in a strange new home, with people she didn't know who she was supposed to consider her new parents, only to have that ripped away from her.

She had lost a lot in her short life. The Fishers had adopted her, allowing her to feel some sense of belonging and stability, but it was natural for Cammy to worry that wasn't permanent. She had been away now for a few days and in that time she only heard Chase and Shelby talk about the trouble they would be in when they got back.

It was no wonder Cammy was panicked. If she thought, even just a little bit, that her family would be mad at her too, she would be worried that her parents would chose to give her up. It was ridiculous in Chase's eyes. He knew how much her parents loved her. He knew they wouldn't be angry with her in the slightest. For Cammy, it wasn't that clear.

"We'll go home," he told Shelby and then in spite of Cammy's protests, he picked her up. "We just have to face the music."

"Are you sure?" Shelby asked Chase, who was already headed for the front door. "You're the one who is going to be in the most hot water."

"I can take it," Chase assured her. "You'll have my back, won't you?"

"I can't protect you from Koda," Shelby shook her head. "You know what he's like when he's angry."

"I'll just have to hope he listens to reason," Chase said. He carried Cammy out to the car. She seemed a little calmer now that she knew she was headed home, but the look on her face still screamed fear and embarrassment. Chase continued. "I did nothing wrong. Heckyl was in control. I just have to make sure he understands that."

"You'll have to make sure Ms. Morgan understands that," Shelby told him. "And she's pretty stubborn, and that's coming from me. But she is the only one who really can call off the caveman."

"We have to go home," Cammy pleaded, worried the Rangers were going to talk themselves out of leaving. Chase nodded his head.

"We're going home," he promised her while looking at Shelby. "For Cammy's sake. She's gotta be with family."

"You drive, then," Shelby said. "I'll give Tyler a call. Hopefully he can explain everything to the others before we arrive so you don't take too much heat."


	3. I Love You

"He not welcome back," Koda said, angrily shaking his head at Tyler as the red Ranger tried to explain what Shelby had told him over the phone. Tyler had to admit being a little confused by the whole affair himself. Chase had attacked Kendall in the lab, stopping just short of seriously hurting or killing her because Jeremy stepped in the way and morphed to protect her sister. Then Chase took off, going into hiding for a few days and somehow convinced Shelby to join him with Cammy.

The pink Ranger had been insistent that Chase hadn't been in control of his own body – that Heckyl had taken over. That Tyler was ready to believe. It didn't sound unlike the humanoid alien to do such a thing, but his head was spinning over the fact that Chase had run. If he was innocent and back in control of his body, why stay away? Shelby insisted it was to give the others some time to calm down, hoping cooler heads would prevail when Chase did come back to explain his side.

Tyler had known Chase and Shelby for a while now. He knew they always had the best of intentions, though they did tend to mess up. Chase often didn't think of his actions and usually went with his gut. It wouldn't be until he could see someone was hurt that he would realize he had done wrong. He never meant to cause trouble. He never meant any harm.

Shelby was often too stubborn for her own good. She would get so focused on reaching her own goals, she would lose sight of the impact it had on others until after the fact. She was more of an act-first-think-after kind of girl. She never meant harm, and often wanted to help, but she would get so caught up in doing it her own way, she would mess up somewhere along the line.

So he was willing to give them both the benefit of the doubt. They meant well, but didn't realize the consequences to their actions until they were already in trouble, making it harder for them to face up to their mistakes. He promised to speak for them to their friends until their return in the hopes of softening the blow for them a little bit.

Riley, hearing the explanation wasn't happy with the way events unfolded, but like Tyler he was willing to trust his friends' story. Ivan felt sympathy towards Chase. Having been trapped inside Fury for 800 years, he understood how difficult it was to watch someone cause harm to people he cared for as well as innocent lives, and having no control of the matter. He often still suffered from nightmares where he would watch Fury destroy villages, killing dozens of people, and being helpless to save any of them.

Ivan could imagine how difficult it must have been for Chase to watch Heckyl hurt Kendall.

Tyler noticed a look of relief on Kendall's face after he explained what Shelby told him. If anything, she seemed happy to know it wasn't Chase who had hurt her.

More than that, she was glad to know Cammy was unharmed and she was coming home.

However, Koda wouldn't budge, and Jeremy seemed just as stubborn. For the latter, he couldn't believe Chase had absolutely no control over his own body. Though he seemed to refuse to let up on his anger with the black Ranger, Tyler got the sense that Jeremy only wanted to get a good yelling out. He was sure Jeremy would respond only by threatening Chase and scaring him half to death before letting him go with a warning and under a big brother's watchful eye. Tyler was a little worried Jeremy might take things a little far and upset Chase beyond what he deserved, but didn't fear for the black Ranger's life.

Koda, on the other hand, was a little less stable. Hearing Chase was returning lit a fire in his eyes. And it didn't matter how many times Tyler explained that it wasn't Chase who hurt Kendall. Koda wouldn't hear it.

"If you're going to be mad at someone..." Tyler started, but Koda shook his head.

"Chase not welcome back!"

"You know what Heckyl is like," Tyler said. Koda continued to argue.

"Chase not should have go to Heckyl in first place," he said. "He leave alone. He make it easy for Heckyl hurt Kendall. Chase not welcome back! Toka, Chase! Toka big Chase!"

"Koda," Kendall frowned, glaring at Koda when she recognized the curse word in his native tongue. Koda looked to her, a little shocked she would scold him, especially at this time.

"But Kendall, Chase hurt you."

"And shouldn't I get to decide where we go from here?" Kendall asked, looking to her brother, then back at Koda.

"Where do we go?" Riley asked her. "Do you believe his story?"

"I... I know something didn't seem right about Chase," Kendall admitted. "He wasn't himself."

"Kendall, I was there," Jeremy said. "And even if this is true, even if Heckyl is responsible, I still have a hard time believing... him."

"Yes, Jeremy is right," Koda nodded his head. "Chase be mind control before. But he fight it. Not want hurt friends."

"He's done this before?"

"Once," Tyler explained to Jeremy. "A monster named Spellbinder put Chase under a... well, spell. Chase was made to attack us, but he broke free on his own."

"So this isn't just a one off then?"

"Yes. Chase do before. He not want hurt friends then and break spell. This time..."

"Heckyl is much stronger than Spellbinder," Kendall spoke up. "And what he does isn't a spell. Heckyl can get inside your head. He can make you think and do things you'd never want to do and you have no control over it. At all."

"I must vouch for the possessive spirit keeping control," Ivan said, looking to Kendall sympathetically before glancing to his teammates. "Fury may not have used my body, but I was bonded with the foul beast for the better part of a millennium. Until my release, I had very little control over what was done."

"Very little is still enough to do something about it," Jeremy said. "If Chase really didn't want to hurt my sister..."

"Unfortunately, that is where you are mistaken. I have watched countless people be slain and despite my inner protest, Fury maintained control."

"But Ivan inside Fury," Koda pointed out. "It still Fury body."

"Indeed," Ivan nodded. "However..."

"Chase go to Heckyl alone. Chase know that dangerous," Koda reasoned. "Chase make mistake. He hurt Kendall. I not let him do that again."

"Oh good grief," Kendall groaned and rolled her eyes. She looked to Koda, "You know I appreciate you looking out for me. Both of you," she smiled at Jeremy for a moment before frowning once again. "But this has got to stop!"

"Kendall..."

"Chase hasn't been himself all week," Kendall said. "Something was off and I didn't have the information to figure out what. What Shelby is telling us makes sense. Everything Chase did, it had to come from Heckyl."

Kendall turned to Tyler, "Shelby said she bumped into Chase right after Jeremy caught him, right?"

"She says that's when Heckyl gave up," Tyler nodded.

"The moment Chase was back in control, the fighting stopped. He wouldn't hurt me."

"I don't want to take that risk," Jeremy shook his head. Kendall made her way over to her brother, taking his hand.

"I'm not going anywhere," she assured him.

"I know that..."

"No, I mean you're not going to lose me," Kendall looked her brother in the eyes, sighing loudly as she did. "I... I'm sorry I took off."

"Kendall..."

"I am," she interrupted Jeremy before he could insist she didn't need to say anything on the matter. She knew they had already discussed it. She had talked about it with the Fishers as well. As far as the family was concerned, all was forgiven on both ends. However, she felt it was important to remind her brother of her commitment now. "My dad left, mom clearly didn't care enough about me to stick around, and by the time I met you Bella and Jon, I had learned people only disappoint. It was clear as day when they didn't adopt me. I felt rejected a third time."

"I know that, Kendall. You don't have to..."

"Running away was the biggest mistake I've made in my life," Kendall admitted to her brother, knowing she hadn't said it before having assumed her parents and Jeremy understood. "I isolated myself. I had a family; people who loved me, and I turned my back on them and the person I hurt the most was me. I regret missing your wedding to Tracey. I wish I had been there to see Anna being born. To watch her grow up. I missed Jon and Bella's thirtieth anniversary, Jon's promotion, all the birthdays, the vacations, everything. I regret missing it all."

"There's still so much more," Jeremy reminded her. "You'll be there for all of it."

"And that's just it, Jeremy," Kendall said. "I want to be there and I'm not going to let a damn thing stand in my way. I'm not going to risk missing out on the rest of it for some boy. I want to help Anna win a science fair, to see Cammy graduate, maybe watch you have another kid."

"Whoa, slow down there," Jeremy chuckled.

"I want to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries and life events. Snide, Heckyl, Fury, the energems, none of that is going to stand in my way. None of that is worth more to me than this. So, dammit, if I believe Shelby's story, if I really think Heckyl is the one who did all this, doesn't that count for something? Don't I get a damn say in what happens to my relationship with Chase?"

Silence filled the room as Kendall ended her speech, and suddenly she was very aware of how much of herself she had revealed to her friends in that moment. Her face turned bright red and her first instinct was to run.

Jeremy caught her by the arm before she could go anywhere. He pulled her in with a smile, wrapped his arms around her tight and kissed the top of her head.

"You're right," he said. "You're absolutely right."

"They're here," Riley announced, hearing a vehicle pulling up on the street and checking outside the window only to recognize Shelby's car moving into the driveway. "Ms. Morgan, I guess it's your call."

"I want to hear it from Chase," Kendall said and eyed Koda especially. "We give him the benefit of the doubt."

Koda nodded to show he agreed, but still stuck close to Kendall as she made her way out of the house.

Shelby was the first out of the car. She flashed a guilty looking wave to her teammates before moving to the back door. Right behind her, on the other side, Chase stepped out. He too looked guilty, but more than that, Kendall saw hurt on his face. He wasn't looking to her, doing what he could to avert his gaze, afraid of her reaction. She knew, right then, Shelby's story was true. Her hunch had been right all along.

"He's fine, Koda," she assured the blue Ranger. Then gave his arm a gently squeeze to let him know she did appreciate him trying to protect her. "Thank you."

Shelby opened the back door and Cammy slipped out of the car. As much as Kendall wanted to talk to Chase, to let him know she believed him, she knew she had to put Cammy first. She saw the tears on her little sister's face, as well as the desperation to be home. She knew it well. She knelt to the ground, caught Cammy in a tight hug and kissed the side of her head.

"You're okay," she whispered to Cammy. "It's okay now, Cam. You're home."

"We didn't hurt her, I swear," Shelby said from the car, keeping her distance. "We were up at my family's cottage. She was having a great time until last night! I promise."

"I believe you," Kendall nodded, but Shelby didn't seem to hear her.

"We had hot-dogs and fires and marshmallows. She swam in the lake, caught a frog, played games, stayed up late. We even saw three shooting stars."

"I believe you," Kendall repeated, lifting Cammy in her arms as she looked to Shelby.

"She just had a freak out. A nightmare I guess and she wanted to go home. So we took her home," Shelby continued to explain, to which Kendall rolled her eyes. "We didn't really mean to kidnap her. It just happened and..."

"Shelby, I know," Kendall chuckled, looking to Cammy, feeling the way her sister clung to her, and then she smiled at Shelby. "It's just anxiety."

"So you're not mad?"

"I said I believed you," Kendall stated. "I didn't say anything about how I feel."

"Okay... cool," Shelby said, taking a step back. Fortunately for her, Kendall had something else to do. With Cammy still in her arms she turned to Chase. He didn't try to leave, but he was doing everything he could to avoid making eye contact with her.

"Chase," she called to him as she approached him. Chase looked to her quickly, saw the bruise on her upper cheek and shook his head.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"Heckyl?"

"This whole time," he said and forced himself to look at her again. As much as seeing the bruise made him sick to his stomach, he needed to see it again. "I'd never do any of that. I hated what he did. I tried so hard to stop it. You have to believe me."

"Why'd you go after him?" Kendall asked. Chase shrugged his shoulders, turning his attention to his shoes.

"I hated what he did," Chase answered honestly. "To Keeper, to the lab. I knew how upset you were and... I thought I'd get him to back off. You know, let him know this was all in vain."

"You didn't see that ending poorly at all?"

"I really didn't think it through," Chase said and rubbed the back of his neck.

"You could have been hurt. I could have been hurt. You understand that, right?"

"I'm being lectured about confronting Heckyl alone by you?" Chase asked with a bit of a nervous laugh. "I guess I really screwed up, huh?"

"Yep," Kendall nodded her head, then grabbed Chase by the shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. "I love you, Randall. Don't you ever do something like that again."

Chase smiled brightly hearing those three words and nodded his head quickly, feeling a bit goofy, but he didn't care.

"Randall?" Cammy suddenly spoke, lifting her head from Kendall's shoulder and looking between the purple and black Rangers. "Your last name is Randall?"

"You didn't know that?" Chase asked. Cammy shook her head, and then turned to Kendall.

"So, if you marry Chase, you're going to be Kendall Randall," she said, then started to laugh. "That's funny."


	4. The Way In

It was always quiet after Cammy went to bed. Chase sat on the couch in the Fisher house, twirling his thumbs, feeling a little uncomfortable by the silence. Often, he enjoyed it. After a day of looking after the little girl it was nice to finally hear nothing. Cammy, even by herself, could make a lot of noise.

This silence was uncomfortable though because Chase knew he had to break it with an explanation. His teammates already believed his story that Heckyl had taken over his body; forcing him to pressure Kendall emotionally and then later hurt her. He was lucky in that sense. Where his luck ran out was afterwards. His friends wanted to know why he thought it would be best to leave. They wanted to know why, if he was innocent, he would run.

"I guess I was mad at myself," he opened with, suddenly finding this explanation was as much for himself as it was for his teammates. He hadn't exactly thought the decision through at the time.

"It was my idea," Shelby jumped in quickly. "I thought putting a little bit of time between what happened and explaining would help everyone calm down a bit."

She looked to Koda as she said this. Chase shook his head.

"Shelby suggested it, but I went along with it."

"Why?" Jeremy asked, arms crossed. He was the newest member of the team, and it did occur to him that there was a lot about his enemies that he still had to learn. Of course, he did know Heckyl was bad, and that he was capable of doing despicable deeds, but it didn't sit right with the silver Ranger that Chase would run if he truly was innocent. "It's simple really. If you didn't do anything wrong, why take off for days? With my little sister, on top of it all."

"It's not simple," Chase shrugged. "I mean... You're right, I didn't do anything wrong but..."

"So then why take off?"

"Jeremy," Kendall scolded, looking to her brother with a frown. She wanted to defend Chase. She had never known him to act out of malice. He had disappointed her from time to time in the past, but never when it counted. And his disappointments were never intentional. He had a good heart and he always wanted to do what was right. It was why the black energem had chosen him.

But seeing Jeremy get defensive reminded Kendall of when she was first reunited with her brother. Jeremy had really let her have it after taking off from the family after high school. She remembered being in Chase's position, and being made to feel like crap even beyond how she already felt about the situation.

She was sure Chase was already beating himself up about all his mistakes, even the ones caused by Heckyl's actions. Jeremy, though his intentions were also well meaning, was doing nothing to help.

"I just want to understand," Jeremy argued. "I'll let you beating up my little sister go, only because the others really seem to believe it was all Heckyl..."

"I must defend Chase here," Ivan spoke up and Chase looked to his gold friend, smiling a little when he heard him. "We know Heckyl is capable of manipulating our thoughts and actions. Please forgive me for bringing this up, Lady Kendall, but he has gotten a lot of information from you without your consent or knowledge. I don't find it a stretch to believe that Heckyl was capable of completely taking over Chase's voice and actions."

"Thank you," Chase whispered to the gold Ranger. Ivan gave a little nod his way. He felt he understood better than the others, having been trapped inside Fury for several hundred years. He had been helpless to do anything until he was freed. He could only imagine it was the same with Chase, only with more guilt. Fury's actions, at the very least, were associated with the beast, and not Ivan. Fury had kept his own body, his own mind, and Ivan was simply along for the ride. In Chase's case, Heckyl had taken control, but he used Chase's body to do it. Until the end of time, Chase would have to live with the memory of seeing his own hands hurting the person he cared for most. He didn't need more guilt added to that.

"Which I'm willing to believe," Jeremy said. "But you just took off after that. Innocent people don't run."

"They do all the time when people are accusing them of stuff they didn't do," Shelby spoke up, also quick to defend Chase. "You're the one who broke up the fight, and I appreciate that Ms. Morgan is your sister and you want to look out for her, but if Chase had tried to explain himself, you weren't going to listen."

"I... well, not at the time, but if Chase had given me a little space to think..."

"That's what we did," Shelby said.

"I didn't know where my sister was," Jeremy argued. "My parents tried to put their faith in you, but without an explanation, without knowing where you and she were, we had no idea if she was safe or not. Kendall even..."

"Don't speak for me," Kendall shook her head at her brother. "You were worried. Jon and Bella were worried."

"You were worried too," Jeremy told her. He glanced to all his new teammates, "Look, I'd be the first to defend Tracey if the roles were reversed or whatever. I'd put my faith in her too. So I don't blame you for wanting to believe him."

"I do believe in him."

"Kendall..."

"Can we talk outside?" Kendall asked her brother in a tone that suggested she didn't expect to hear a protest from him. Jeremy grumbled, but got up from his seat and followed his sister to the backyard. Though Kendall's request had obviously been for a little privacy from the Rangers, everyone rushed to the back of the house and watched from the window.

Outside, Kendall glared at her brother, "I thought we talked about this."

"We did."

"I trust Chase."

"And I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt."

"By making him feel worse?"

"Kendall, he took off with Cammy."

"I trust him with her. I trust Shelby with her."

"You were worried sick at the time."

"I was," Kendall admitted. "I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know what happened to Chase, or where Shelby had taken Cammy. I was upset about Keeper, about my lab, about it all."

"And that changes now that you know?"

"Yes," Kendall answered firmly. "Now that we know what happened and why, we can move on."

"I..."

"Questioning every little thing that happens is only going to tear us apart. Heckyl tried to pull one over on us, but it didn't work. If we're going to come back as a team, we need to trust each other. You need to trust the others."

"That's not as easy as you think it is," Jeremy said, rubbing the back of his neck. Kendall looked to him.

"You've never had trouble trusting others before. They're not going to let you down, Jeremy. These are good people."

"They won't let me down," Jeremy nodded. "It's just... People let you down."

Kendall furrowed her brows, a little confused by her brother's statement. He let out a deep breath before he started to clarify.

"I know this sounds a little... hypocritical. I've been trying to help you see that people aren't always out to hurt you. But... you don't exactly have the best of luck with this stuff. I mean, your parents, Heckyl..."

"Chase isn't like them. In a way, he's the one who helped me get close to you."

Jeremy nodded his head as he reached for the energem around his neck, taking it in his hand.

"You know what I was thinking about when I first saw the energem?" he asked her. Kendall shook her head.

"Titanosaurus?"

"You," he answered with a little smile. "Since this whole Ranger thing came up, it's just been you. Keeping you safe, making sure you'd be okay. I stayed in town to train in secret, hoping I could do something to protect you, even something small. I pushed myself in physio to get better as soon as possible so I could protect you. This energem, I swear, it chose me for that. It chose me to keep you safe."

"You're protective," Kendall told him, reaching out and touching his energem. "You've always been protective. You defend the people you care for from those who wish them harm."

"Sure, but... Kendall, that's you," he looked to her. "I mean, of course, I love Tracey and Anna with all my heart, and as much as it kills me, I'm sending them back home to keep them safe from this war stuff. I'm doing this for them too, but... this is for you. I want to keep you safe. I don't know much about the energems. I certainly don't know as much as you, but I have a feeling I'm right about this. I was chosen to protect you."

"That's... a little daunting."

"You think?" Jeremy chuckled then smiled at Kendall. "Look, I like Chase. When I first met the guy, I saw what you see in him now. He'll look after you, maybe better than me. But when you open yourself up to people, they become your weak points. And I don't want to scare you off being open and trusting but that's just the way it is. Chase may not have meant any harm but he's Heckyl's way in."

Kendall looked to the window where all her friends were watching and Jeremy could see she was a little put off by what he had said. He touched her arm.

"I'm being tough on Chase for that reason," he said. "It's for his own good as much as yours. He can't go running off like he did. He can't take Cammy with him. He can't even go after Heckyl by himself."

Kendall nodded to show she understood what her brother was saying, but Jeremy could see his words were starting to do more harm than good and he could understand why. Kendall had grown up believing her mother's words. If she let people into her heart, they would only break it. It didn't need to be intentional, but that would be the end result. She had only recently started moving away from that way of thinking. She had only recently started allowing herself to trust her family and the people who showed her they cared.

Now, his words were only confirming what her mother had always said. By letting Chase in, she was opening herself up to heartbreak. She was making herself vulnerable and Heckyl, or anyone, could exploit that.

It terrified her.

Jeremy pulled her into his arms, "Hey, I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen. We're all here to make sure it doesn't happen. If I were in Chase's shoes, I know the others would be giving me hell for it. I'd want them too. It's how we keep each other safe. I trust Chase, alright. He didn't want to hurt you. I know that."

"I let this happen," Kendall said, shaking her head as she pulled out of her brother's arms suddenly. Jeremy frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Keeper chose me because I was focused," Kendall told her brother. "He chose me because he knew I would put my job first."

"Yeah, a long time ago. People grow..."

"Heckyl let Snide into our base twice," Kendall told her brother. "The first time, he attacked Cammy. He almost killed her."

"But Kendall..."

"The second time, he killed Keeper."

"Kendall..."

"He knew how to get into the base because I let him in. Because I let myself trust someone. Because I lost focus."

"I think we're moving backwards here," Jeremy frowned a little uneasily. "I didn't mean..."

"If I hadn't opened myself up to Heckyl, if I hadn't tried to be friendly and just stuck to the job I accepted, none of this would have happened. Keeper would be alive; Cammy never would have gotten hurt. Maybe we'd have found the energems sooner."

As Kendall went on, Jeremy waved at the window, calling the other Rangers out. He shrugged his shoulders as they stepped into the backyard.

"She's rambling. I don't... I think I may have said the wrong thing."

"I have to get to work," Kendall said, pushing her way past the Rangers to head back inside the house while they gave Jeremy a curious look.

"What exactly did you say?" Tyler asked as he recognized the determined look in Kendall's eyes. She always had one, especially when she wanted to be focused on her work, but this one looked eerily similar to the one she wore when he first met her. It was harsher and closed off.

"I'm not sure. I... I'm usually pretty good with her."

"Maybe I can talk to her," Chase suggested hesitantly, looking to Jeremy to see the older brother's reaction. Jeremy nodded his head.

"If you can help."

"I talk to her," Koda insisted to Chase, looking to the black Ranger confidently. "I... how you say, cut through Kendall crap."

"What?" Jeremy frowned and Tyler chuckled. Chase looked to the silver Ranger bashfully.

"That's out of context."

"I mean," Koda turned to Jeremy, "Kendall think a lot. Chase not want to put up with it, so he have me take care of Kendall."

Jeremy crossed his arms over his chest hearing this. Chase chuckled nervously.

"It's really for her own good," he insisted. Koda leaned into him.

"Did I get you in trouble?"

"A little bit, mate."

"Sorry."

"Just... go help with Kendall, alright. I'll clean this one up," Chase pat Koda gently on the shoulder before he let him go inside. The black Ranger then smiled at Jeremy. "Come on, don't you sometimes let Tracey's best friend deal with her crap instead of you?"

"I don't put it that way," Jeremy said.

"Good point," Chase nodded.


	5. The Old vs The New

Koda made his way down to the basement, walking carefully as he did. He wasn't completely sure what Jeremy meant when he told the others he was worried he had said the wrong thing, but Koda knew, regardless of the situation, it was always best to approach Kendall cautiously.

He saw her hard at work in her makeshift lab, and it reminded him of a time a little while back, before Ivan joined the team. Back then, Kendall's priority had always been her work. It served the Rangers well for a time. While they were still learning what it meant to be Rangers, and how to stop the aliens from destroying the city and killing them, Kendall was able to pop out charger after charger. Those chargers gave the Rangers an edge over their enemies in a couple of ways. The first was that the chargers always had a lot of power. It didn't matter how tired or scared the Rangers were. The chargers always provided them with enough strength to finish off a fight. The second way the Rangers benefitted was through the element of surprise. Kendall would come up with chargers on a dime, each with their own unique power. Sledge, Wrench, Fury, they never knew what would come up, or when, and couldn't plan for anything specific.

However, as time went on, the Rangers became stronger. They had a better understanding of themselves, their powers, their friends, and their enemy. They knew Sledge, Snide and Fury were brutes, Wrench and Heckyl were cunning, Poisandra was driven by her love for Sledge and Curio was just along for the ride, but completely loyal. Chargers were still a welcome addition to any fight, but more important now was the bond the Rangers shared. They trusted each other immensely, and understood that their different skill sets helped them all adapt in any situation.

Koda couldn't help but worry, seeing Kendall regress, that there was something wrong.

"Everything is okay?" he asked. Kendall didn't even look at him, and he had to ask again, this time after calling her name, to get just a shred of her attention. "Kendall?"

"Fine," she said back, without missing a beat in her work or looking away from what she was doing. "Everything is fine, Koda."

"Jeremy not think so. He think he say wrong thing. Make Kendall upset about something."

"I'm not upset," Kendall answered. "I've just remembered what's important."

"Friends?"

"This," finally she looked to him as she gestured to her work. "Finding the energems..."

"We have ten," Koda counted, holding up all of his fingers, though double counting to be sure that was right. "We not need to find more."

"Then keeping them out of enemy hands. At least until I can figure out what to do with them now that Keeper is... dead."

"Kendall was close with Keeper?" Koda asked, though he already knew it to be true. Keeper had been the one to choose Kendall, and to teach her everything he knew about the energems. He had been the one to guide her in the early days, before she met Koda and for a time after she met Chase, Tyler, Shelby and Riley. He had, perhaps, been the first father figure in her life.

"That's not important."

"Koda was very sad when father die," Koda told her. She shook her head.

"I appreciate the empathy, but that's not exactly the same thing."

"Kendall not seem like Kendall since Keeper die," Koda pointed out. "Now you like old Kendall."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kendall frowned. "I've always been Kendall."

"No," Koda shook her head. "Old Kendall work, work, work," he said, imitating the scowl she knew she once always wore on her face. It had helped keep people at arm's length, allowing her to focus on her work and only her work. "New Kendall is real Kendall. Smile more. Happy with friends."

"Koda..."

"We like real Kendall better," Koda pointed upstairs to let her know he was speaking for everyone. All the Rangers got along better with the new Kendall than the old. They cared for her regardless, but they preferred her the way she had been most recently.

"The real Kendall isn't who Keeper chose," Kendall told him, turning back to her work. Koda frowned.

"Real Kendall who energem choose."

"Maybe that was a mistake," Kendall said. "Keeper and the energem chose two very different people."

"Kendall only one person."

"But I've changed too much," Kendall told the caveman, and then sighed as she realized what he had drawn out of her. "Look, Koda, it's just... Keeper chose me for who I was. I was focused on work, I didn't let other aspects of my life distract me. Finding the energems, protecting them, keeping you Rangers safe, that's what I lived and breathed."

"Thought you breathed air."

"It's an expression," Kendall said and Koda nodded to show he understood. "Lately, I've let other things come in the way of that. There's Cammy and my parents and Chase..."

"What wrong with them?"

"Nothing's wrong. It's just the timing. I shouldn't be focused on my family or any romantic relationship right now. If I had just stayed true to the woman Keeper chose, none of this crap with Heckyl would have ever happened."

"Crap with Heckyl not Kendall fault."

"Of course it's my fault, Koda," Kendall frowned. "I got distracted with Cammy. I prioritized her over the team."

"Cammy is little girl," Koda said. "We not mad you take care of her."

"Koda, I trusted Heckyl for her," Kendall said. "Cammy needed to make friends, I needed to show her how it was done and the person I chose for that is Heckyl. I befriended him. I gave him the golden opportunity to get inside my head. That's how he found out about the lab, about everything. That's how he's so god damn annoying! He's my fault!"

"Kendall..."

"And if Heckyl never found out about the lab, Snide never could have gotten in. He never would have hurt Cammy or killed Keeper."

"You not know that going to happen."

"But you all did," Kendall said. "You don't think I remember how much you all resisted me becoming friends with Heckyl? You're all still the people your energems chose. I've changed."

"Good change."

"Keeper's dead!" Kendall shouted. "He's dead, my lab's gone, my sister's been inches from her life, my brother was found unconscious in a ravine, and Heckyl took over Chase's body. All of that... that's because of me."

"But Kendall..."

"Keeper chose me for a reason and I let that slip out of focus."

Koda shook his head, approached Kendall and put his hands on her arms. He looked her in the eyes.

"Keeper choose not happy Kendall," he explained to her. "Energem choose happy, stronger Kendall."

"I killed Keeper."

"Snide kill Keeper," Koda corrected her. "Heckyl let Snide in. Snide choose to attack. If Kendall was there, Kendall would stop him."

"I..."

"Kendall always been person energem choose," Koda told her with a little smile. "From day Koda first meet Kendall, she always caring. Kendall always want to take care of friends. You just better at it now."

"But that's not who Keeper chose, and now he's dead..."

"Not Kendall fault."

"Yes it is!" Kendall screamed and hit Koda in the chest. He wanted to growl, to let her know that hurt and she wasn't listening, but when he saw her eyes were brimmed with tears he settled down a little and looked to her softly. "My whole job was keeping everyone safe! It was to make sure nothing happened to you, to the energems or the Earth. I got distracted and now someone's dead!"

"Not Kendall fault," Koda repeated.

"Keeper trusted me!"

"With energems," Koda told her. "Keeper trust Kendall with energems."

"If I had just stayed focused, stayed on task..."

"Team probably hate you," Koda spoke honestly, figuring Kendall needed to hear the truth, even if it hurt. She looked up to him painfully but he continued. "Shelby not like Kendall at first. Shelby come around because Kendall is new Kendall. Other Rangers wanted to like Kendall, but you so focused, it was hard. Kendall start letting people see heart, that when friends become friends. That how we beat Heckyl for good."

"You would have hated me?" Kendall asked. Koda shook his head.

"Not Koda. I know real Kendall from long time ago. Kendall always show a little part of real Kendall to me."

She knew that was true. She had always been kinder, and showed more patience with Koda. She had always chalked that up to the circumstances under which he had come into this world. She had to look after him and she couldn't do that from a distance. She needed to be sure he knew he could come to her with anything, and that she would help him with anything he needed.

She always thought she had to be different for Koda. As it turned out, that wasn't the case. Thinking back, Kendall realized who she had been with Koda had been a glimpse at how she would turn out if she only opened her heart up a little more. She wasn't different around Koda. He had always been vulnerable enough that, instinctively, she felt she could be herself more around him.

Logically, Keeper would have seen that early on. Before Chase joined and long before the fight for the energems escalated, Keeper would have gotten glimpses of the real Kendall, the Kendall the purple energem would eventually choose.

"I still feel it's my fault," Kendall whispered to Koda. "Like if I had done something different, he'd still be here."

"Me too," Koda nodded and wrapped his arms around Kendall.


End file.
